5/16/2013
Oil Spill
Louisiana lists 39 restoration projects that would be financed with BP oil
spill fine money
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
May 15, 2013 at 7:12 PM
Louisiana coastal officials have put together a list of 39 restoration
projects that they hope will be partially or fully financed by money the
state or federal agencies expect to receive as a result of the BP Deepwater
Horizon oil spill.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/05/state_lists_39_restoration_pro.html
BP seeks US court relief from 'fictitious' claims stemming from 2010 Gulf
of Mexico oil spill
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, May 16, 5:42 AM
LONDON — BP is seeking to stop paying millions of dollars in what it calls
spurious compensation claims stemming from the catastrophic 2010 oil spill
in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/bp-seeks-us-court-relief-from-fictitious-claims-stemming-from-2010-gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill/2013/05/16/425fd0a8-be15-11e2-b537-ab47f0325f7c_story.html
National Geographic launching locally built travel guides in BP oil spill
states
By Mark Waller, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
May 15, 2013 at 8:45 PM
National Geographic on Wednesday announced an effort to promote tourism in
the states most affected by the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The idea is to create a travel website, mobile application and printed
travel guide that present cultural and environmental destinations nominated
by people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2013/05/national_geographic_launching.html
State News
MS company pleads for illegally filling wetlands in Bay St. Louis
The Associated Press
JACKSON, MISS. — A Mississippi corporation has pleaded guilty to illegally
filling wetlands near Bay St. Louis.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/05/16/4669518/ms-company-pleads-for-illegally.html
MDEQ awards grants to area governments
WTVA
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality has awarded grants to counties and cities.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/MDEQ-awards-grants-to-area-governments/pIU6NUZ1MUicQrwAUbBM_g.cspx
West Point gets grant to expand recycling
WTVA
WEST POINT, Miss. (WTVA) -- The city of West Point is getting some
financial assistance to expand its recycling efforts.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded the city a
grant of $25,000.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/West-Point-gets-grant-to-expand-recycling/uioh8MhVNECc7Yq9Xsi2kw.cspx
Red Hills Takes Over Power Plant
WCBI
CHOCTAW, Miss. (WCBI) -The Choctaw Community came out Wednesday(5-15)
evening to welcome Red Hills Operations to the county.
http://www.wcbi.com/wordpress/red-hills-takes-over-power-plant
Auditor's office declines comment on McKay assertion
Sun Herald
By KAREN NELSON — klnelson@sunherald.com
OCEAN SPRINGS -- State Auditor Stacey Pickering's office had no comment
Wednesday on what Ocean Springs mayor candidate John McKay told the Sun
Herald on Tuesday -- that McKay was cleared of being part of an
investigation into the state Department of Marine Resources.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/05/15/4669124/auditors-office-refuses-comment.html
National News
Appeals court dismisses greenhouse gases lawsuit
AP
NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals panel has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit
filed by a group of Mississippi Gulf Coast residents and landowners who
alleged that emissions by energy companies contributed to global warming,
which intensified Hurricane Katrina, which, in turn, damaged their
property.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130516/NEWS01/305160036/Appeals-court-dismisses-greenhouse-gases-lawsuit
Senators approve funds for water, flood projects in 83-14 vote
The Hill
By Ramsey Cox and Zack Colman - 05/15/13 12:09 PM ET
The Senate voted 83-14 for a water infrastructure bill on Wednesday, the
first such bill the upper chamber has moved since 2007.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/299899-senate-votes-83-14-for-water-bill
Wicker: water resources bill is a win for Miss.
WTVA
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTVA) -- U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) on Wednesday
praised passage of the "Water Resources Development Act of 2013" by the
U.S. Senate.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/wtva-wicker-water/Q--TNsz4eEaMzu2lng6MJg.cspx
EPA showdown redux, Energy secretary vote arrives, and more
The Hill
ON TAP THURSDAY: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Democrats
will try again to advance the stalled nomination of Gina McCarthy,
President Obama's choice to run the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/300009-overnight-energy-epa-double-feature-house-probes-keystone-pipeline-and-more
Republican: EPA 'rewards its friends and punishes its opponents'
The Hill
By Pete Kasperowicz - 05/15/13 01:07 PM ET
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) on Wednesday accused the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) of exempting left-leaning political groups and green energy
producers from various fees and fines that it routinely assesses to
right-learning groups.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/299917-republican-epa-rewards-its-friends-and-punishes-its-opponents
From the IRS to the EPA?
Wall Street Journal
By JASON L. RILEY
Gina McCarthy, President Obama's pick to replace Lisa Jackson as head of
the Environmental Protection Agency, is awaiting Senate confirmation. And
Republicans have taken heat for asking Ms. McCarthy too many questions
about her plans for the EPA. My concern is that they haven't asked her
enough questions.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324767004578485020262618766.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Poultry pollution has been overestimated, UD-led study finds
News Journal
Federal environmental programs have drastically overestimated poultry
industry contributions to water pollution, according to a University of
Delaware-led study that could trigger changes to river and bay cleanup
plans across Delmarva and around the country.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130515/NEWS08/305150041/Poultry-pollution-has-been-overestimated-UD-led-study-finds?nclick_check=1
Scientists say united on global warming, at odds with public view
Reuters
Wed, May 15 2013
By Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle
OSLO (Reuters) - Ninety-seven percent of scientists say global warming is
mainly man-made but a wide public belief that experts are divided is making
it harder to gain support for policies to curb climate change, an
international study showed on Thursday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/16/us-climate-scientists-idUSBRE94F00020130516
Press Releases
May 15 2013
COCHRAN SUPPORTS WATER PROJECTS BILL WITH PROVISIONS FOR MISSISSIPPI
Miss. Senator Gained Approval for Provisions to Benefit Miss. Waterways,
Flood Safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate today approved major national water
projects legislation with the support of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, who won
approval to include provisions that will benefit waterway development and
flood protection in Mississippi.
The Senate on Wednesday approved the Water Resources Development Act of
2013 (S.601 or WRDA), an authorization bill for Army Corps of Engineers
water conservation and development projects throughout the country. The
bill was passed on an 83-14 vote.
"For Mississippi, this legislation is important for improving and managing
our ports and flood control infrastructure. Public safety and economic
growth are closely linked to the Army Corps of Engineers' ability to
construct, operate and maintain these projects in our state," said Cochran,
who serves on the Senate appropriations subcommittee that funds the Army
Corps of Engineers.
"I'm pleased the Senate has approved this bill and hope that it can be
approved by the House and sent to the President for his consideration," he
said.
During consideration of the bill, Cochran won approval for two amendments
he authored that would:
• Authorize a state or local entity, such as a coastal port authority,
to receive credit for costs incurred for authorized dredging, an activity
that is normally the responsibility of the federal government, but is not
always performed in a timely manner. The Port of Gulfport, for example,
has not been dredged to its full width and depth since 2009, preventing
large cargo ships from doing business there. Under the Cochran amendment,
the state or local entity could apply such credit toward the up to 20
percent of the nonfederal cost requirements for future construction
projects. This nonfederal operation and maintenance work must adhere to
the same standards under which the Corps operates.
• Clarify a section of WRDA related to Louisiana flood protection to
ensure that it does not authorize construction or program assistance for a
flood control barrier across the Lake Pontchartrain land bridge, and that
any study to advance such a project must include the consultation and
approval of the governors of Mississippi and Louisiana. This amendment
provides certainty that the Governor of Mississippi will play a role in
ensuring the safety of Mississippi residents from unmitigated flood risk
posed by a flood control project in Louisiana.
Cochran worked with Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who serves on the
Environment and Public Works Committee, to develop and support these
provisions in S.601 that will benefit Mississippi:
• Section 1002 of the bill includes language authorizing projects that
have a completed Office of the Chief Engineer report since the 2007 WRDA.
S.601 authorizes approximately $1.4 billion for 13 subprojects under the
Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program (MsCIP). Cochran has been working
to get this portion of MsCIP projects authorized since the Chief's report
was completed in 2009.
• Language is included under Harbor Maintenance (Title 8) that would
give priority to dredging at ports that have not been dredged recently and
that have recently invested significant resources in port infrastructure.
This language could improve funding prioritization for operation and
maintenance dredging at the Port of Gulfport.
• Authorization of $25 million under Operations and Maintenance of
Inland Mississippi River Ports (Section 5015) for shallow draft ports along
the Mississippi River from points north of the Red River (just south of
Natchez). Of the eligible ports on the Mississippi River, five are in
Mississippi (Natchez, Port Gibson, Vicksburg Greenville, and Rosedale).
• Provision included authorizing the renaming of the Jesse Brent Lower
Mississippi River Museum and Riverfront Interpretive Site after Jesse
Brent, a Mississippian known as the "Granddaddy of the Towboat Industry"
who passed away in 1982. Brent was posthumously named "River Person of the
Century" in 2000 by the Waterways Journal.
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